Iza Ramen - San Francisco
My first post is on a local spot in the Mission District of San Francisco. Iza Ramen is a small pop-up shop only open on the weekends, from 11:30AM to 3:00PM.
It’s on the corner of Bryant and 20th St, and really easy to miss if you’re just walking by. The actual restaurant is called Blowfish Sushi, and it’s a hip little spot. The last time I came here was with a coworker, right before our shift on a Saturday afternoon.
They actually only have a few choices - the house Tonkotsu ramen, and Tsukemen. I’ve only had bad Tsukemen in the states, but I decided to take the chance and went for it. I also ordered a side of takoyaki, and Jordan ordered the Tonkotsu ramen. Man oh man, this place was so good.
They give you a complimentary salad before the meal, which I thought was great service. The takoyaki was flavorful, not too doughy, and they didn’t skimp out on the octopus. & onto the rest of the meal, which was definitely the best part.
The tsukemen broth came out filled with toppings: Sesame, green onions, chives, bamboo, ground pork, and was heavy with flavor. And the most important thing, the dipping broth stayed hot. Since tsukemen is served with cold noodles, bad tsukemen usually ends up being very lukewarm and not enjoyable. Restaurants that make good tsukemen will find a way to keep the broth piping hot, either by using a certain type of bowl, or simply serving the broth at a very high temperature. Also, the noodles were good, slightly chewy, but weren’t remarkable. For me, I would say the highlight was the dipping broth. This was probably the second best tsukemen I’ve had.
The one thing I wasn’t used to was their Tonkotsu broth. It was a mix of Fish, chicken, and pork. If you’re a fan of lighter soup base, this would be perfect. I’m just a huge fan of fatty pork broth, so maybe the fish taste just didn’t appeal to me. I’ll have to come back and try it again without a bias.
All in all, this place was a clutch spot, and definitely one of the more low-key ramen shops. I would come here again, just to order their tsukemen - and possibly try their tonkotsu ramen. After our meal, we walked to work and may or may not have passed out from a food coma. I definitely drank a lot of coffee that day.
2170 Bryant St San Francisco, CA 94110
Saturday, Sunday: 11:30AM-2:30PM
